Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide as a Member of the ISS Expedition Crew

Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) would like to announce that Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide has been selected as a crew member for the 32nd/33rd Expedition Mission at the International Space Station (ISS). Once there, he will engage in space activities mainly for space environment utilization, including scientific experiments coordinated by Japanese scientists and international partners at the ISS.

Astronaut Hoshide is currently continuing his astronaut training after achieving success with the 1J mission on the space shuttle Discovery (STS-124 mission, June 2008.) He is also contributing to ISS operations as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) at the NASA mission Control Center, communicating with crew on board the ISS.

Period of stay at the ISS:
About 6 months from early summer 2012

Transportation means to the ISS:
Launch and return by Soyuz

Major tasks at the ISS:
System operations at the ISS, including those in the Japanese
Experiment Module, Kibo, as an ISS Flight Engineer; ISS robotic
arm operations; and conducting scientific experiments

Schedule until the mission:
Taking training sessions on operating ISS facilities, including
Kibo and the ISS robotic arm; on conducting in-orbit scientific
experiments; and on riding the Soyuz